Although I’m no fan of Theresa May, I quite liked the speech and I’m seriously anti-Brexit. It’s a shame this speech was not made months ago but no doubt Mrs May had differing viewpoints in her own cabinet.

The strategic relationship with the EU on defense is an important offering and should go down well in many parts.

But in the end, the speech was light on detail.

The bottom line – she was trying to appeal over the heads of the bureaucrats to the 27 member countries, with an olive branch. The problem is that the EU doesn’t want the UK to be as well off outside the EU as within. There’s the rub.

We shall have to wait and see the reaction but it won’t all be as foregiving as this blog.